Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-01-08
THE BIG DRILL.
Great Prospects for the May Military
Meeting.

Great Prospects for the May Military
Meeting.
NEW ENTRIES BY REGIMENTS BATTALIoNs AND
coMPANIEs-RAnRoADr INTEREST AND ITS RESULT.
A private letter has been received from MI. T
| C. De Leon, now on drill tour through the
south and west, under date OF January I'd at
Mobile, from which THE STAR obtains the follow
ing: '1n hasty trip through half a dozen cities
find the interest in the drill is widespread and
very active and this is corroborated by talk with
travellers on the trains from every section of the
| country. The news OF the May event has spread
greatly In the two weeks since left Washington {;
and the capitalmay prepare for such anOutpouring,
as she has not yet SEEM from the four points OF the
| United States compass. citizens of the better
class, find everywhere to be quite as deeply In
terested In the event are the military, and the
fairer already on tiptOe for their proposed
| Washington trip In the spring. All this proves
the sagacity OF the choice OF position for the drill
and If the railroads are as wise as take them to
be, the travel next May will prove bonanza, all
along the line. Details you cannot expect In COM
pass of letter; but briefly stated, the result OF
certainly be represented BY her oldest and best In
| fantry corps; and, doubtless by her champion
battery spite OF the kick against horses IN .ns
Major Pettibone, of the first regiment, are very
anxious TO come and think the railroad arrange
Intnts viii be made TO suit them. The artillery
battalion Will also be represented. II Is the
opinion OF local railroad men that large visiting OF
civilians from OHIO VIII center at Cincinnati ana
take the excursion trains for Washington.
at Louisville there Is real business meant. COL
Castleman, of the first regiment, (who Is also adj
ness: and he viii probably enter the regiment.
battalion and company contests. Citizens there
also are deeply interested in the trip and blue
grass will have a large and representative show
Ing from both city and country.
IN THE STATE OF TENNESSEE
cannot say much. Memphis viii be repre-
sented probably by company Of zouaves. besides
the famous Chickasaws; but from Nashville's
first regiment / expect only one company. The
Old Porter Rifles are not aft" for contest now,
and COL Cu,rey says he has no faith In their entry
ia May.
AT montgomery I found the boys wide awake.
Both the Greys and the Blues are drilling splendid
teams, and the city people are full OF enthusiasm
and OF faith In the blue ribbon coming home with
one of them. Both are ably commanded and Dotn
are sure TO be formidable competitors for the first
company prize. There is also talk OF an Alabama
battalion OF four crack companies; Out GOV.
and much will depend On the governor himself.
talked with him on the subject, In which he takes
great interest, but he would not say positively
what would be done.
Here in Mobile ssthings is mixed, as Lolita says.
Col +. p. Davis, OF the rirst regiments Capt Price
Williams, OF the Rifles and Capt. Glennon or the
Lomax. have just resigned, leaving the two chain
pion companies without commanders. RumOr
says that Davis will take the LOmax (hiS old team)
10 Camp George Washington, but the ex-captain
says nothing. The Mobile pubic says both Rifles
and LOIlaX Will be there: but nobody yet knows.
Anyway, Alabama Will be well ana fully repre-
scented.
Tonight leave for New Orleans where there Is
much interest and constant inquiry, and thence
by VickSburg and Jackson, headquarters for Mis-
sissippi, and round by st. Louis back TO Washing
ton TO open the new headquarters.
As proof OF the solid grounds of expectancy for
deeper interest in this drill than in any similar
event remember Every railroad man meet Is
full of queries and talks drill ali the time. Some
Af hn in limos al he ri m.
yelOpes tthe best advertisement We could have,
and all OF them are ready TO put out our ntho-
graphs and descripttves about February 1st. Per-
sonaliy, the general passenger agents have done
yeOInan'S service, MessrS Lord or the b. and o.;
Wilson, OF the Chic. and w. Western; Ford, OF the
Penn West lines; Coieran, Of the Q. and c., and
AJmore, OF the L. and N, having been specially
active and interested. Their interest is rejected,
as have said, by their subordinates everywhere,
great straw to show the way the drill wind Is
| blowing.
ORGANIZATIONS EXPECTED.
Correspondence, since / left Washington, has
grown almost daily, my forwarded mails bringing
many new entries. A brief resume OF these new
corners shows the following:
The Sarsfield Guard OF New Haven and the Cor
coran Cadet corps, from home From Dakota,
Company b., OF her I'd regiment. and the Atlanta
Rifles and LIST regiment Georgia Volunteers, OF Sa-
vannah. Illinois and Iowa come to the front with
a regiment each; the former with its Chicago 1st
and the latter with its Sd regiment from OSkaloOoa
and Louisville writes since my departure as to
formation OF a new company.
From Maine, the Portland Cadets and Company
ID OF the 2d regiment at Lewiston write for entry
and nearer home have letters from the I'd Mary
land Battalion at Cumberland and Company B.
The Baltimore Light Infantry and the Maryland
College Cadet corps. The Detroit City GrayS, the
Saginaw, Company d, Sd regiment, and the 4th
regiment, Nj. S T., from Detroit are the newcomers
| (Slnce my DEPARTURE from Michigan.
Companies A, 7th regiment Of Kansas City, and
A, 9Th, OF Carthage, are added TO the Missouri
| OF Manchester, n. H., and Calling Gun Company
B, OF Camden, \. j. have also Interesting letters
from the 5th Massachusetts infantry OF Boston,
| and Minnesota alphabetically follows with COM
| company OF her I'd regiment.
New YORK has Kept me alive with numerous
letters, among them the Jamestown Zouave COM
| pany, the 22d and 26Jh, separate companies of
| Saratoga springs and Elmfra; company d, OF
Brooklyn 22d; the Troy Citizens corps, with most
James Cavanagh's regiment. the North Carolina
2d, of Wilmington; the LIST and 9TH Ohio from
Cincinnati ana Cleveland and the splendid Drum
cavalry. the Cincinnati Calling Gun company, and
company ii, 2d regiment, at BiOomdale, airs added
| 10 the ''Buck Eye" contingent.
oregon sends her first entry in company G from
Portland, and Kansas makes her maiden bow with
company F OF her Sd regiment.
Among the Pennsylvania letters are co. G. OF the
18th and Of the FencibIeS; and her little neigh
Dor, Rhode Island, offers her Central Falls Cadets
have also letters from the 1sJ Virginia brigade at
Richmond, from the Sd Wisconsin and from enough
more, were not merciful by nature, to make this
list as long SepOrellO'S.
This Is a pretty good showing from SHeaduuar-
tiers In the saddle" or, might say, In the saddle
bags. Running over the list hastily l find what
the cotton men here call the Offerings TO foot up
thus: Is regiments. IL battalions, 137 companies,
cadet corps. bands and drum corps; and set
not over twenty-five Of these new answers TO
our official circular. Ii that spans out" In the
same ratio the National Drill will exceed by twenty
times anything OF the kind ever yet attempted.
Ihlrty-1Our states are represented 50 in these
letters; from Oregon to Florida, from Maine to
| Texas.
But as shall soon report in person, shall close
this screed ard let the facts and figures in It speak
| for themselves
TO a Friend.
ION hearing the wish expressed that "a the DAYS of
her hie might be New Year days"l
Written for The EyENING STAR